Drawing mechanism for spinning frames and the like



July 30, 1940.

B. l.. LoulE 2,209,573

DRAWING MECHANISM FOR SPINNING FRAMES AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 4, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet l July 30, 1940. Q L, LOUIE l 2,209,573

DRAWING MECHANISM FOR SPINNING FRAMES AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 4, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 30, 1940. B, L, LQU|E 2,209,573

DRAWING MECHANISM FOR SPINNING FRAMES AND 'IIHE LIKE Filed Nov. 4, 1938 3 Sheets-*Sheet 3 l -f/9 faq -20 20g' /8 ff 54 /6 34 /a i /sa/ j 3. L. Lau-ie,

Patented July 30, 1940 UNITED STATES DRAWING MEcHANIsM Fon SPINNING FRAMES ANDTHE L IKE Ban Lem Louie, Shanghai, China `Application November 4, 193s, serial No. 238,902

In Great Britain February 17, 1938 3 Claims.`

This invention relates to apparatus for draft- -ing cotton slivers or rovings for the production of spun yarns, the apparatus being of the type wherein a sliver or roving is drafted between a pair of endless bands arranged around the middle pair of rollers of the spinning frame.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus of the above type in which a yielding pressure is applied to the slivers or rovings as they pass between the endless bands, similar to that obtained by the fingers in hand spinning and whereby a more even and stronger yarn is produced. v

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus of the above type which is of simple construction, and easily assembled or dismantled in the minimum amount of time. The invention consists in an apparatus for drafting cotton slivers or rovings for the production of spun yarns of the type above referred to in which the upper and lower endless bands arranged around the middle pair of drawing rollers are provided at their forward ends, at -a point between the middle and front pairs of rollers, with a pair of tensors which are slidably mounted within recesses formed in the cap bars, the upper tensor being resiliently mounted so as to be capable of movement towards and away from the lower tensor within the said slots, thereby to apply a yielding pressure to the slivers or rovings.

The invention also consists in the further features hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will now be described with refe erence to the accompanying drawings in'which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete drawing mechanism constructed according -to the invention.

.. .Figure 2 a front elevation,

Figure 3 a plan, n

Figure 4 a side elevation of the middle and their associated endless bands,

Figure 5 a front elevation,`

Figure 6 a plan, and Figure 'l a sidel elevation of the upper tensor,

Figure 8 a front elevation of a modied form `of upper tensor,

Figure 9 a front elevation of anothermodied form of upper tensor,

Figure 10 a front elevation, and y.

Figure 11 a plan of the bottom tensor.

. In the drawings l is a stationary support on which is mounted three pairs of drawing rollers, namely, front rollers 2 and 5, middle rollers -3 and 6, an-d back rollers 4 and'I. The lower rollers rollers 2, 3 and 4.0i each pair, are rotatably mounted in the support I, whilst the upper rollers 5, 6 and l which rest upon said lower rollers are held in their correct positions by cap bars, each of which comprises three blocks 8a. The rearl block is 5 secured to an arm ilb pivoted at 9 to the rearward portion of the support I, whilst the middle and iront blocks are adjustably mounted upon a rod csecured at its rear end to the rear block 8a. In this way each cap bar as constituted by 10 the three blocks 8a can be swung upwardly out of its operative position. The blocks 8a are provided with vertically disposed slots I0 extending the whole depth of the blocks and within which are slidably engaged the reduced ends II of the 15 upper rollers of each pair, said slots serving to position the rollers while permitting them to roll freely. The lower rollers are preferably uted or grooved in well known manner.

The front blocks B of the cap bars, at a point 20 between the front and middle pairs of rollers, are provided with additional slots or recesses I2. Ihese slots orrecesses I2 instead of extending the whole depth of the front blocks 8a as is the case with the slots I0, stop short a little distance from the underside of said blocks so as tobe closed at their lower ends. Further, the recesses I2 4instead `of being arranged parallel to the slots .I0 are disposed at a slight angle to the vertical for a purpose to be referred to later.

The slots I2 engage with the ends of a pair of upper and lower tensors I3 and I4 which extend between the cap bars parallel to the rollers. The bottom tensor I4 shown in detail in Figures 10 and 11 is in the form of a narrow flat bar the ends of which are slightly reduced in width for slidably engaging the slots I2 such reduced portions being made thicker than the rest of the bar so as to form a stepped up portion I5 which is slightly higher (about of an inch) f thanthe rest of the tensor. The stepped up or `thickened end portions I5 of the bottom tensor lserve not only to prevent the said tensor from inclining to one side or the other in the slots I2 but also normally constitute supports for the upper tensor I3.

The upper tensor I3 which is also reduced at its ends to engage the slo-ts I2 is provided in the `middle of its length with a pin I6 which projects vertically from the upper surface of said bar, whilst on each side of said pin, at a distance therefrom is provided recesses I'I and I'Ia. "These recesses which are open at the top extend downwardly to within a short distance of the bottom Asurface of the bar so as to leave relatively narrow portions I8 and I8a at these parts of the bar,

Secured to that side of the tensor I3 remote from the front pair of rollers 2, 5 and adjacent the two ends of each of the slots II and I'Ia are four prongs or guide pieces I9, I Ila and 20, 2I)a which extend outwardly from said bar and downwardly for some distance below the same, the said prongs or guides being disposed along the length of the bar in two pairs, one pair to each slot.

The underside of the upper tensor I3 is at and when placed in position with its reduced ends in the slots I2 of the cap bars, normally rests upon the raised end portions of the lower tensor I4 so as to leave a gap 2| between the upper and lower tensors extending substantially the whole length thereof.

Arranged around the upper middle roller 6 is a pair of endless bands 22 and 22a which at their upper part extend forwards and downwards through the slots Il and IIa and thence round the iront edges I8, I 8'a of the upper tensor I3 which may be suitably rounded oir, back through the gap 2| and two pairs of prongs or guides I9, ISP and 2li, 2liEL to the roller 6 again. A second pair of bands 23 and 23l are similarly arranged around the lower middle roller 3 the sand bands in this case passing upwardly from the roller 3, between the pairs of prongs I 9, I9a and 2U, 2i]a from whence they pass around the front edge of the lower tensor ill, which may be rounded 01T similarly to the upper tensor, after which they enter the gap ZI and pass back through the pairs of prongs I3, I92L and 20, 2liet to the roller 3 again. The lower endless bands are revolved by means of the bottom middle roller 3 which is driven in any well known manner by suitable mechanism not shown, the upper bands being also revolved due to their frictional contact with the lower bands.

In order to press the upper rollers 5, 6 and 'I iirmiy against the lower rollers 2, 3 and 4 and thereby cause the upper and lower drawing elements of each pair to move at the same surface speed, a saddle mechanism is provided which comprises a front saddle 24 bearing at its forward end upon the reduced central portion of the upper front roller 5 and at its rear end resting upon a second or rear saddle 25 which at its ends bears upon the reduced central portions of the top middle and back rollers 6 and v7.

Pressure is obtained by means of a lever 26 which is pivotally connected at its upper end to the front saddle 24 and extends downwardly through a slot 2l in the rear saddle its lower end seing slotted at 23 to receive one end of a lever 23 which passes through said slot and is hooked at SII to a xed part of the frame, the other end of the lever being weighted at 3I.

Secured at its upper end to the underside of the front saddle 24, at a point opposite the pin It ci the upper tensor I3, is a spring 32 which iits over the said pin so as to rest at its lower end upon the top of said upper tensor. In this way a resilient pressure is applied to the top tensor by the i'ront saddle 24 through the spring 32 whereby the top pair of bands 22 and 22a are yieldingly pressed against the lower pair of bands 23 and 23a, such pressure of the bands being similar to that produced by the fingers in hand spinning.

The recesses I2, in which the top and bottom tensors are slidably mounted, are given a slight inclination from their upper to their lower ends in a direction away from the plane passing through the axes of the middle rollers, so that a tensioning of the upper and lower pairs of endless bands 22, 22a and 23, 23a, takes place as the said tensors are pressed downwardly in their recesses under the pressure of the spring saddle mechanism. Should greater tensioning be required than that afforded by the inclination of the slots I2, then the front and/or middle blocks Si of the cap bars may be adjusted along their associated rods 8c by means of set screws 8d (Figure 3) until the required tensioning is obtained.

As the slivers or rovings 33 are drawn through the rollers between the upper and lower pairs of bands 22, 22a and 23, 23a the upper tensor I3 is free to adjust itself within the slots I2 against the action of the spring 32 whereby the depth of the gap 2| between the upper and lower tensors is varied and the upper bands 22, 22a thereby caused to apply a yielding pressure to the slivers or rovings which pressure is closely akin to that produced by hand spinning and which results in the production of more even and stronger yarn. Also by the resilient mounting of the upper tensor I3 such adjustment of the upper pair of bands is possible without interfering with the normal pressure of the saddle mechanism upon the drawing rollers and through the spring upon the said tensor Further, the side walls of the slots or recesses Il and Ila in the upper tensor constitute guides ior the top stretch ofv the upper pair of bands 22, 22a whilst the two pairs of prongs or guide pieces extending downwardly from said tensor serve to position the bottom stretch of the upp-er bands as well as both the top and bottom stretches of the lower pair of bands 23, 23a.

Preferably the side walls of the recesses Il, Iln in the upper tensor I3 are formed at their upper ends with inwardly projecting pins 34 which extend over the side edges of the top stretch of the upper pair of bands 22, 22a thereby ensuring the retention of said bands within their respective recesses.

If desired the pins 34 may be dispensed with according to the modified form of upper tensor illustrated in Figure 8 in which case only the side walls of the recesses serve to guide the top stretches of said bands, whilst in a further modified form of upper tensor as illustrated in Figure 9, the prongs or guide pieces may be omitted.

Clearers 35, 36 and 3l are provided for the top front and middle rollers, the top rear roller and the bottom front roller respectively.

The general arrangement is extremely simple and can be easily dismantled for examination or adjustment it only being necessary to remove the weight 3I from the lever 29 whereupon the whole of the saddle mechanism can be removed in one operation after which the top rear and front rollers can be slidden upwardly out of the cap bars as well as the middle top roller together with the upper bands and upper tensor, thus leaving only the lower rollers in the support I.

It will be understood that whilst the invention has been described with reference to one set of twin front, middle and rear pairs of drawing rollers, any number of such sets may be provided alongside one another according to the overall length of rollers and drawing frame required.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for drafting cotton slivers for the production of spun yarns, comprising in combination, front, middle and back pairs of upper and lower drawing rollers, a stationary support m which the lower roller of each of the said pairs is rotatably mounted, cap bars pivotally connected at one end to the said support and having slots within which are slidably engaged the reduced ends of the upper rollers of each pair, said slots serving to position said upper rollers whilst permitting them to roll freely upon the lower rollers, saddle mechanism mounted upon said support for applying pressure to said drawing rollers, additional recesses in the said cap bars at a point between the middle and back rollers, a pair of upper and lower tensors mounted on top of one another and slidably engaging at their ends within the said recesses, a pair of endless bands arranged around the middle pair of drawing rollers and the said pair of tensors, and spring means interposed between said upper tensor and the saddle mechanism whereby the upper tensor is capable of limited movement towards and away from the 'lower tensor within said recesses to apply a yielding pressure to the slivers passing between the bands.

2. An apparatus for drafting cotton slivers for the production of spun yarns, comprising in combination, front, middle and back pairs of upper and lower drawing rollers, a stationary support in which the lower roller of each of the said pairs is rotatably mounted, cap bars pivotally connected at one end to the said support and having slots within which are slidably engaged the reduced ends of the upper rollers of each pair, said slots serving to position said upper rollers whilst permitting them to roll freely upon the lower rollers, saddle mechanism mounted upon said support for applying pressure to said drawing rollers, additional recesses in the said cap bars at a point between the middle and back rollers, a lower tensor in the form of a bar having stepped-up ends and slidably engaging at its ends within the said recesses, an upper tensor also slidably mounted at its ends in said recesses and normally resting on the stepped-up ends of the lower tensor so as to leave a gap between the said tensors extending substantially the whole length thereof, a pair of endless bands arranged around the middle pair of drawing rollers and the said pair of tensors, the adjacent upper and lower stretches of said bands passing through the gap between said tensors, guiding means on the upper tensor for correctly positioning the upper and lower bands, and spring means interposed between said upper tensor and the saddle mechanism whereby the upper tensor is capable of limited movement towards and away from the lower tensor within said recesses to apply a yielding pressure to the slivers passing between the bands.

3. An apparatus for drafting cotton slivers for the production of spun yarns, comprising in combination, front, middle and back pairs of upper and lower drawing rollers, a stationary support in which the lower roller of each of the said pairs is rotatably mounted, cap bars pivotally connected at one endto the said support and having slots within which are slidably engaged the reduced ends of the upper rollers of each pair, said slots serving to position said upper rollers whilst permitting them to roll freely upon the lower rollers, saddle mechanism mounted upon said support for applying pressure to said drawing rollers, additional recesses in the said cap bars at a point between the middle and back rollers, which recesses are slightly inclined outwardly away from the middle pair of rollers from top to bottom, a lower tensor in the form of a bar having stepped-up ends and slidably engaging at its ends within' the said recesses, an upper tensor also slidably mounted at its ends in said recesses and normally resting on the stepped-up ends of the lower tensor so as to leave a gap between the said tensors extending substantially the whole length thereof, pairs of endless bands arranged around the middle pair of drawing rollers and the said pair of tensors,

the adjacent upper and lower stretches of saidbands passing through the gap between said tensors, recesses in the upper tensor for posi tioning the top stretches of the upper bands and prongs depending from said upper tensor for positioning the bottom stretches of the upper bands and both top and bottom stretches of the lower bands, a spring mounted at its lower end upon a pin xed to the top side of the upper tensor and at its upper end bearing against the underside of the saddle mechanism whereby the upper tensor is capable of limited movement towards and away from said tensorwithin said recesses to apply a yielding pressure to the sliversA passing between the bands.

BAN LEM LOUIE. 

